Darkness
by Sable Supernova
Summary: Reg tried to save Barty again and again, but the darkness kept closing in. Psychological!AU. Oneshot.


_**Written for:**_  
 _ **Writing Bingo:** RegxBarty_  
 _ **Chocolate Frog Cards Challenge:** Honoria Nutcomb - Psychological!AU_  
 _ **Gringotts Prompt Bank:** Lethifold, "I'm so terrified of the nightmares that I just stopped falling asleep.", "What have you done with my pills? I need them!", Marauder's Era - [10 point bonus], He/She closed his/her eyes, ready to sleep._  
 _Words: 1002_

* * *

 **Darkness**

 _The ticking of the clock was the only thing breaking the ethereal silence. A thin, pale moon let no light through to the street outside. In the bedroom, one form slept soundly while another held a wand up high, lit brightly. His eyes darted around the room as a sweat formed on his brow._

* * *

I was drunk, sure, but what respectable fifth year wouldn't be on the night their House won a Quidditch game? I'd spent the last few hours with my teammates in the common room, but it was two in the morning now, and I thought it was about time I checked on Barty. He hadn't wanted to join us, and when I headed downstairs to the dormitory, I assumed he'd be asleep.

Stumbling into our room, I was greeted by the gentle snores of my dormmates, and at first I assumed Barty was among them until I spotted the light.

"Bartholomew!" I called out, surprised at my own volume.

"Yes?" he asked, sounding tired. I walked over to his bed, careful not to trip on my way, and pulled back his curtain.

"Why are you still awake?" I asked.

"Why do you smell like cheap perfume?" he countered.

I thought about it for a moment, and couldn't for the life of me remember. "I asked first."

"How drunk are you?" He asked. He didn't want to answer. I knew from experience that if he thought I was drunk enough, he'd tell me anyway, thinking I wouldn't remember. I always did.

"I don't know. I can't feel my face," I told him.

"I'm still awake because I'm so terrified of the nightmares that I just stopped falling asleep," he admitted, without a hint of emotion.

"What nightmares?" I asked.

"Bad ones. Graphic, violent ones. Dementors and Lethifolds, me with my own bare hands. But now I'm not sleeping, they're hitting me in the day time, in class, at dinner. I can't shake them."

He was so matter-of-fact, it was unnerving. Without thinking, I climbed into his bed beside him, not bothering to take off my clothes. "Sleep," I told him. "I'll protect you."

I heard him laugh as I closed my eyes, and I was asleep before I knew it.

* * *

 _A black shadow began to grow by the door, flat and broad as if it was slithering in through the crack under the doorframe. The man's eyes fixed on it, terror taking hold. He swallowed down a scream as his heart rate picked up. His skin paled and his breathing became erratic, but he didn't move. He watched. He waited._

* * *

"What have you done with my pills? I need them!" he screamed, and I began to panic. I hadn't touched his pills - I wouldn't! But I knew he wouldn't believe that. Not in his current state. He never did.

"Do you want me to help you look for them?" I suggested.

"I want you to tell me where they are." He fixed me with a penetrating stare. When I'd left him this morning, he'd been fine. He'd even given me a kiss goodnight. He was a different person now. All it took was a few hours.

"I don't know where they are, Barty, but I'll help you look." I hoped it would be enough, but the look on his face said it wasn't.

"Liar!" he shouted, vein throbbing in his neck. "You hate me. I know you do. You hate me and you want me to die!"

As he spoke, I stood and headed to the bathroom, where he kept his pills. All the while I couldn't help but think we'd only been living together for a month - we were supposed to be in the honeymoon faze. Not… not this.

I opened the bathroom cabinet as he screamed at me, but I didn't hear what he said. I pulled out his pills and handed them to him.

"You hid them from me," he said as he walked away.

* * *

 _The black shadow took on form as it approached, like a magic carpet floating across the room to the bed. The man looked to his sleeping lover as he swallowed again, trying to keep the shouts of terror at bay. He looked to the clock as the black blanket reached the foot of the bed, and then to the bottle of pills on his bedside table. He held his hands out in front of him, illuminated by his wand, and stared. The darkness crept up the side of the bed, edging forward with each menacing ripple._

* * *

I left him in the bed as the Healer led me to a private room. This meant the news wasn't good.

"I'm afraid there isn't much good news for you." I knew that much. I didn't say anything. I just waited for him to continue. "His progress seems to have stalled. The hallucinations… they aren't getting any better. They're as clear and vivid as they were four months ago. Is he still taking his pills regularly?"

"Yes, I think so," I told him, not knowing what else to say. It wasn't news I didn't know, I just hoped…

"You think so? You need to be sure. He needs you to keep track of him. You need to ensure he's taking them when he's supposed to, or they won't work correctly. He can get better, it'll just take a lot of work."

I didn't know what I wanted him to say. It seemed to me he wouldn't ever be the man I knew again.

* * *

 _As the shadow crept over his feet, the man began to truly panic. He tried not to thrash, or make a sound, but he was shaking, and sobbing inside. He knew he couldn't fight the creature off. As it grew nearer and nearer, hiding his legs from sight, he put his wand down, extinguishing the light. There was nothing for it. His only choice was to surrender to the darkness, and hope he left it full._

 _He closed his eyes, ready to sleep._


End file.
